We’re up to our ears in tomatoes around my neck of the woods at the mo.’

This isn’t a problem for me, because tomato is one of the staples in my diet; but my poor brother, who is not a huge fan of them is having some issues with the mountain that seem to be coming inside every time anyone goes out to the garden.

The thing is, he will eat just about anything if it’s covered in cheese. (Funny, I’m that way with tomato, or gravy, or chocolate…) I seem to have made a hit today with a cheesy tomato-y tart.

Tomato Tart with Cheese and Thyme

pie crust to line a 9-inch tart pan

1 1/2 pounds garden tomatoes of mixed variety, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, sliced into thin rings

1/2 C cream

2 sprigs of thyme leaves (maybe 1 to 1 1/2 tsp)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 C grated aged cheddar

Roll out your pie crust to 1/4 inch thick. Line the pan, pressing the crust into the sides. Bake, weighted, in a 400 degree oven 15-20 minutes, and then an additional 5-10 uncovered to let it brown up.

While the baking is going on, brown the onion slices in the olive oil in a heavy pan, transferring to a plate when finished. Pat the tomato slices dry and then start them caramelizing in the same pan, 2-3 minutes per side, adding them to the plate with the onions once they are finished. Do this in batches so as to not over crowd the pan.

Add the cream, thyme and garlic to the remaining juices and simmer, reducing by half. Season it with the salt and pepper. Stir in most of the cheese. Pour the sauce into the cooked tart shell and top with the onion and tomato. They should lay mostly flat, so that you can see all of the pretty concentric circles. Sprinkle it with the remaining cheese. Replace in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I used a mix of all of the tomato types we’ve got in the garden, because we’ve got some crazily flavorful heirlooms that gave it a different taste, but any kind of tomato you have available to you should work. Also, mix it up with the cheese you use, if you give this a try, because I just used what we had in the fridge.